Bon Appetit!
SILVER PALATE'S DINNERS
Excellent varied Menus distinguished the last ten years with an emphasis on TAPAS. Penelope Casas has written many books with an extensive repertoire in the subject. These next years seem to provide a comeback to delicious food with an emphasis on health and freshness. Simplicity will continue to be the game.
Barnes and Nobles, the Kitchen Link's Featured Cookbooks and Amazon Books announced the new publishing of old editions of books by Craig Claiborne, from the New York Times, and of those treasured books from The Silver Palate Shop in New York. I had never been too far away from Mrs. Rosso and Mrs. Lukins influence; therefore, I am overjoyed by the news.
Here, I am including a Menu based on Silver Palate's Recipes (old editions). The selection of the dishes is mine. The magic is undoubtedly of Mrs. Lukins and Mrs. Rosso.
BLACK BEAN SOUP
FRUIT STUFFED LOIN OF PORK
SAFFRON RICE
ARAGULA AND SWEET RED PEPPER SALAD
STRAWBERRY MOUSSE
Dinner should be served with a few bottles of Cabernet Savignon or Chateneuf Du Pape.
BLACK BEAN SOUP
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cups chopped yellow onion
8 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 lbs black turtle beans, soaked in water overnight
1 meaty ham bone or smoked ham hock
6 quarts of water
2 tb ground cumin
1 tb ground dried oregano
3 bay leaves
1 tb salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
Pinch of Cayenne (optional)
6 tb chopped parsley or cilantrillo
1 medium sized sweet red pepper, diced
1/4 cup dry sherry wine
1 tb brown sugar
1 tb Balsamic vinegar
Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onions and garlic and cook over low heat until vegetables are tender, abt. 10 minutes. Drain the beans and add them, the ham bone or hock and the water to the pot. Stir in the cumin, oregano, bay leaves, salt, pepper, cayenne and 2 tb of the parsley or cilantrillo. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook, uncovered, until beans are very tender and liquid is reduced by about three-quarters. This will take about 2 hours. Transfer ham bone or hock to a plate and cool slightly. Pull off any remaining meat with your fingers and finely shred. Return meat to pot. Stir in remaining parsley or cilantrillo, sweet red pepper, sherry, brown sugar and Balsamic Vinegar. Simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste, correct seasoning and serve very hot, with the following garnishes: chopped onion, hard cooked chopped eggs, white rice, chopped parsley or cilantrillo or 1 tb sherry on top of the soup, at the moment of serving. You can select one or more of the above mentioned garnishes. (Recipe is adapted to my taste and practice through the years).
FRUIT STUFFED LOIN OF PORK
4 pounds boneless pork loin roast, prepared for stuffing
1 cup pitted prunes
1 cup dried apricots
2 garlic cloves, in very thin slices
salt and ground pepper to taste
1 stick sweet butter, softened
1 tb dried thyme
1 cup Madeira wine
1 tb molasses
watercress (garnish)
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, push the dried fruits into the pocket in the roast, alternating prunes and apricots. Make deep slits in the roast with the tip of a knife and push the garlic into the slits. Tie the roast with twine and rub the surface with salt and pepper. Set the roast in a shallow baking pan and smear the butter over the roast. Sprinkle with thyme. Stir Madeira and molasses together in a small bowl and pour over the roast. Set the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours, basting frequently. When the roast is done, remove from the oven and let it stand, loosely covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Cut into thin slices, arrange slices on a serving platter, and spoon pan juices over them. Garnish platter with watercress and serve. I do this same recipe, but preheating the oven to 300 F and baking the pork for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, and with only 1/2 stick of melted butter, for smearing the roast.
SAFFRON RICE
4 cups of water or chicken stock
2 cups uncooked long grain rice
1 tb salt
2 tb olive oil
a few saffron threads
1 cup finely chopped Italian parsley (cilantrillo)
Bring the water or stock and the olive oil, to a boil. Add the rice, salt and saffron, and continue cooking, uncovered, until the water evaporates, and small craters appear in the rice. Move the rice only once, from bottom up. Reduce the heat to low and cover tightly. Cook undisturbed for 20 additional minutes. Uncover the pan, add the parsley (do not stir) and cover. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Uncover, toss the rice with a fork to mix in the parsley and serve immediately. 6 to 8 portions. The original recipe added 1 stick sweet butter, cut into 8 pieces.ARAGULA AND SWEET RED PEPPER SALAD
This salad is complemented by Balsamic Vinaigrette. Recipe follows.
2 large heads romaine lettuce
2 bunches of Aragula
1 pound fresh mushrooms
3 large sweet red peppers
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Discard lettuce outer leaves; separate and rinse the inner leaves and thoroughly dry. Wrap and refrigerate. Remove aragula leaves from their stems, rinse and dry. Wrap and refrigerate. Remove mushroom stems from the mushrooms and reserve for another use. Wipe each mushroom cap with a damp paper, wrap and refrigerate. Cut away the stems and ribs of the red peppers; discard the seeds. Slice the peppers into fine julienne, wrap and refrigerate. To assemble, tear the lettuce leaves into bite size pieces and combine with the aragula. Divide among 6 chilled salad plates. Slice mushrooms and sprinkle evenly over greens. Arrange red pepper julienne over mushrooms. Drizzle each plate with balsamic vinaigrette and serve. Can be presented in a large salad bowl, tossed with the vinaigrette before serving. 6 portions.
BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
1 garlic clove unpeeled
1 tb prepared Dijon mustard
3 tb Balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup olive oil
Cut the garlic clove in halves and rub the cut sides over the inner surface of a bowl. Reserve the garlic. Whisk the mustard and vinegar together in the bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dribble oil into the bowl in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly, until dressing is creamy and thickened and all the oil has been incorporated. Taste and correct seasoning. Add reserved pieces of garlic; cover the bowl and let the dressing stand at room temperature until you need it. Remove garlic and rewhisk the dressing if necessary before using. About 11/4 cups.
STRAWBERRY MOUSSE
2 pint baskets strawberries, stemmed, washed and drained
2 tb fresh lemon juice
1 tb unflavored gelatin
6 tb boiling water
2 egg yolks
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tb Cointreau
2 cups heavy cream chilled
additional whole strawberries for garnish
Combine strawberries, lemon juice and gelatin in the bowl of a processor with a steel blade. Puree until smooth. Pour in boiling water and process again, briefly. Let mixture cool to room temperature. Beat egg yolks and sugar together until pale yellow and thick. Whisk in Cointreau and beat for another minute. Pour egg mixture into the top part of a double boiler set over simmering water and stir until slightly thickened and hot to the touch. Cool to room temperature. Combine strawberry and egg mixtures and chill until just beginning to set. Whip cream to soft peaks and fold gently into chilled mousse mixture. Spoon into a serving bowl or individual dessert glasses. Chill at least 4 hours. Garnish with whole strawberries before serving. 10 portions.
The Silver Palate Cookbook
1979 Edition
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